Desert Mountain Equine

12/30/2025

🎆NEW YEAR’S + FIREWORKS = PLAN AHEAD FOR YOUR HORSE! 🎆
As we head into the New Year, remember that fireworks can be especially stressful for our equine friends. A little planning can make a big difference in keeping them safe and comfortable!

🐴 Firework Safety Tips
• Bring horses inside before fireworks begin
• Close barn doors and windows, and turn lights on
• Use music or white noise to help muffle loud noises
• Offer plenty of hay (slow feeders or hay nets work great)
• Consider ear plugs or calming supplements ahead of time
• Double-check fencing and gates earlier in the day
• Avoid turnout during peak firework hours
• Horses with a history of panic or injury risk may need vet-prescribed sedation — plan early!

📅 Holiday Clinic Hours
• Wednesday (Dec 31): No appointments — open for medication pick-up, scheduling, and questions
• Thursday (New Year’s Day): Closed all day

📞 Our emergency line is available 24/7 if you need us.
🚨 Emergency Line: 480-848-5240

Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year! 🐎✨

12/30/2025

🌸🐴 Foaling Season Is Almost Here! 🐴🌸
With spring around the corner, many mares are getting close to the big day. Being prepared can make all the difference for both mare and foal. Here’s a quick foaling-season refresher ⬇️

✨ Signs Your Mare Is Getting Close
• Udder filling or waxing
• Relaxation around the tail head
• Restlessness, pacing, or lying down more than usual
• Dripping milk (can mean foaling is imminent!)

🛠️ Things to Do Before Foaling
• Make sure your mare is up to date on vaccines
• Prepare a clean, quiet foaling area with deep bedding
• Have a foaling kit ready (towels, thermometer, iodine/chlorhexidine for the navel, watch/clock)
• Know who to call if something doesn’t look right ☎️

⏱️ After the Foal Arrives — The 1-2-3 Rule
✔️ Foal should stand within 1 hour
✔️ Foal should nurse within 2 hours
✔️ Mare should pass the placenta within 3 hours

🚩 Call Your Vet If You See:
• Strong labor lasting more than 20–30 minutes with no progress
• Red bag delivery
• Foal not standing or nursing
• Placenta not passed
• Excessive bleeding or abnormal behavior from mare or foal

💙 Pro Tip: Early intervention can be life-saving. When in doubt, it’s always better to call.

Foaling season is exciting—but preparation is key! If you have questions, want to schedule a pre-foaling exam, or need help making a plan, we’re here for you and your mares every step of the way 🐎💫

12/24/2025

🎄🎅 MERRY CHRISTMAS from the Desert Mountain Equine family! 🎅🎄

What a year it’s been! We are overflowing with gratitude for our amazing clients, your wonderful horses, and the incredible community that makes DME feel like family. Thank you for trusting us with your horses and letting us be part of their care — it truly means the world to us! ❤️🐴

🎁 Holiday Hours:
✨ Christmas Eve: Closed half day
✨ Christmas Day: Closed

🚨 Need us? We’ve got you covered!
Our emergency line is available 24/7 at 480-848-5240

We hope your barns are filled with jingle bells, your horses get a few extra treats, and your holiday is packed with joy, laughter, and good health. 🌟🐎

🎄✨ From our hearts (and ugly sweaters) to yours — Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! ✨🎄

12/22/2025

🎄✨ Holiday Reminder for Our Horse Community ✨🎄
As we head into the holiday week, it’s a great time to start thinking ahead for New Year’s Eve.

Fireworks can be stressful and unsettling for many horses, and a little preparation now can make a big difference later 🐴💙

✔️ Plan where your horse will be the evening of 12/31
✔️ Ensure safe fencing, gates, and lighting
✔️ Have plenty of forage available
✔️ Consider ear protection or background noise
✔️ Reach out early if your horse struggles with anxiety

If your horse has had issues with fireworks in the past, don’t wait until the last minute — we’re happy to help you make a plan.

Wishing everyone a safe, calm, and happy holiday season 🎁✨
— Desert Mountain Equine

📞 480-294-7403
🚨 Emergency Line (24/7): 480-848-5240

12/20/2025

💉 3️⃣ The Power of Preventative Care

They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure—and that couldn’t be truer for your horse’s health. 🐎💙

Routine care like vaccines, dentals, deworming, and annual exams do more than just “check boxes”—they:
✔ Catch small issues before they become major problems
✔ Keep your horse’s immune system strong
✔ Maintain your veterinarian–client–patient relationship (required for prescriptions!)
✔ Save you stress and money in the long run

Your horse works hard for you—let’s keep them feeling their best year-round.

📅 Call or text us to schedule your fall wellness visit:
📞 480-294-7403 | 💬 888-793-5870

12/18/2025

🎅🦌 Santa’s reindeer are officially healthy and cleared for takeoff!

As part of their annual Christmas Eve clearance, all nine reindeer underwent a full physical examination and health certification by our veterinary team. Each reindeer was evaluated for soundness, overall health, and fitness for long-distance travel — and we’re happy to report they’re injury-free, feeling great, and ready for a long night of flying, rooftop landings, and worldwide deliveries.

From preventative care to final flight approval, we take every health certificate seriously — even at the North Pole 😉 ✨🎄

— Desert Mountain Equine

12/12/2025

Vesicular stomatitis is a viral disease of horses, donkeys, mules, cattle, swine and New World camelids that occurs in the Western Hemisphere. The disease is named for the characteristic vesicular lesions it causes in the form of blisters, crusts and ulceration of the lips, muzzle, nose, tongue, ear...

12/06/2025

12/04/2025

✨ Emergency Laceration Update! ✨
During our Client Appreciation Event, many of you saw the emergency case that came in with a pretty significant laceration. We shared photos that night — and here’s how it’s looking now!

This tough horse is healing really well, and Dr. Casterton is optimistic that it will continue to improve beautifully with more time and care. 🐴💪💗

Swipe to see the progress ➡️
We love a good healing journey!

As always, if you ever have questions about wounds, swelling, or when it's time to call a vet, we’re here to help. 🩹✨

12/02/2025

🧰 2️⃣ Guess the Tool Tuesday!

🔍 Guess the Tool Tuesday! 🐴

Take your best guess — what is this used for in equine medicine? 👇

Drop your answers in the comments! We’ll reveal the answer tomorrow morning.

12/01/2025

🚨 NEW ARIZONA EHV-1 NEURO CASE (11/30/25) 🚨
A neurologic case of EHV-1 has been confirmed in Pinal County. The facility is under official quarantine, and there is no known link to previous Arizona, Texas, or Oklahoma cases.

Even though this is a single case, now is the time to stay extra alert. Some horses only spike very low-grade fevers, so don’t rely on obvious symptoms.

✔ Check temps twice daily
✔ Isolate any horse with a fever, even mild ones
✔ Use good biosecurity and limit unnecessary movement

We’ll continue to monitor updates closely and will keep everyone informed as new information becomes available.

Stay safe

Equine herpesvirus (EHV) is a family of equine viruses named by numbers including EHV-1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 with EHV-1,3,4 posing the most risk for domestic horses. EHV is a common DNA virus that occurs in horse populations worldwide. The two most common species are EHV-1 and EHV-4.

11/27/2025

🦃🍂 Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Desert Mountain Equine! 🍂🦃

We’re so thankful for our amazing clients, our hardworking team, and, of course, the incredible horses that make it all worthwhile. 💛
Your trust and partnership mean the world to us — it’s a privilege to help keep your horses feeling and performing their best all year long.

A quick reminder: we’re closed today and Friday so our staff can enjoy the holiday with their families. We’ll be back in the clinic Monday, ready to help with all your equine care needs. If you have an emergency, please call our emergency line at 480-848-5240 💪🐎

Wishing you and your herd a safe, relaxing holiday filled with love, laughter, and plenty of pie. 🥧🐴